Why the Future Could Mean Delivery Straight Into Your Fridge

What’s for dinner?
There’s nothing in my fridge that I want to eat.
How am I going to find time to go grocery shopping?

Shopping for groceries can be a hassle for my busy family. We need to make the time to go to the store, make sure we find everything on our list (and a few things that likely weren’t), lug them home and then put them away. Sometimes this can be a fun trip, but more often, we’re either pressed for time or, worst of all, can’t make the trip, leaving us with an empty fridge that has us munching on unhealthy snacks, instead of our typical fresh fruit, vegetables and yogurt.

So we asked the question: what if Walmart could help busy families like mine ensure my fridge was always well-stocked? What if we created a service that not only did my grocery shopping and brought everything to my home, but even went so far as to put it directly into my fridge? And, what if it was even more convenient because this “in-fridge delivery” happened while I was at work or off doing other things?

In setting out to solve this challenge, we’re excited to be testing new delivery ideas with companies like August Home. As one of the leading providers of smart locks and smart home accessories, they’re a great partner to test these new concepts, like delivering packages inside customers’ homes and putting groceries away in their refrigerators.

These tests are a natural evolution of what Walmart is all about – an obsession in saving our customers not just money but also time.

Here’s how the test will work: I place an order on Walmart.com for several items, even groceries. When my order is ready, a Deliv driver will retrieve my items and bring them to my home. If no one answers the doorbell, he or she will have a one-time passcode that I’ve pre-authorized which will open my home’s smart lock. As the homeowner, I’m in control of the experience the entire time – the moment the Deliv driver rings my doorbell, I receive a smartphone notification that the delivery is occurring and, if I choose, I can watch the delivery take place in real-time. The Deliv associate will drop off my packages in my foyer and then carry my groceries to the kitchen, unload them in my fridge and leave. I’m watching the entire process from start to finish from my home security cameras through the August app. As I watch the Deliv associate exit my front door, I even receive confirmation that my door has automatically been locked.

When I enter my house later that day, it’s like magic– the items I purchased from Walmart.com are waiting for me, and my groceries are nice and cool in the fridge, as if they never left their display in the store. And the best part is that I didn’t even have to unpack anything. Think about that – someone else does the shopping for you AND puts it all away. Clearly this adds more convenience to the day-to-day, but it makes the unexpected easier, too. Imagine planning a last-minute get-together and having everything you need to entertain already waiting for you inside your fridge. Or maybe you think during lunch at work that you’d like to surprise your spouse by making dinner, but don’t have time to run to the store. In the future, you could order on Walmart.com and start cooking minutes after you walk through the door.

We’re excited to be running this test in Silicon Valley with a small group of August Home customers, all of whom have opted-in to participate in testing this new concept. And we want to do more in the future by delivering groceries and other orders in whatever location works best for our customers – inside the house for some and in the fridge/freezer in the garage for others. The possibilities are endless, and we look forward to exploring how we can further serve our customers’ needs.

These tests are a natural evolution of what Walmart is all about – an obsession in saving our customers not just money but also time, making our customers’ lives easier in the process. What might seem novel today could be the standard tomorrow. This may not be for everyone – and certainly not right away – but we want to offer customers the opportunity to participate in tests today and help us shape what commerce will look like in the future.

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Wow! I just seen a commercial that led me to think Walmart was starting to deliver. Way to go guys and keep up with amazon

DECEMBER 2, 2017 12:58 AM

Mailbox Remedies

We have used Peapod for a few years and I must admit it is nice to have the groceries delivered to our door. Having the groceries brought into the house and placed in our refrigerator, now that would be cool. No Pun intended ;)

NOVEMBER 7, 2017 8:38 PM

Janice Mayhan

I work at Walmart and have had conversations with my customers regarding this. We are in a rural community and it would be ideal. Thanks. It was intersting to read this.

NOVEMBER 7, 2017 10:27 AM

Amy Campbell

There are many people who have smart locks who allow maids, pest control, and other services into their houses when they aren't there. This isn't much different other than delivery personnel may change occassionally. The person who wrote this review had security cameras and so they felt secure to allow this type of delivery.
If you are a stay-at-home mom or elderly you could easily be there when they arrive.
This is a service and if you don't trust it just order and pick up at the store.

OCTOBER 5, 2017 8:33 AM

Donna Gubbins

That would be great for older people who has to depend on others , that would be the best thing ever ! That's the best !

Blue Star Families Helps Unsung Heroes: Military Spouses

When I said, “I do” under a bower of roses to my husband, resplendent in his Marine Corps dress blues, I had no idea that the years ahead would bring the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the long war, many combat deployments and many moves.

I love my husband and found extraordinary meaning in helping to serve my country. Along the way, I also found that the costs can be very high.

Like many military spouses, I moved. I moved and moved again. I’ve lost careers that I cared about – and was good at. These jobs helped support my family while resettling my children and maintaining a home for my husband as he retrained and left again. It’s a lonely place to be. But I wasn’t alone.

Many military spouses deal with additional obstacles like putting the needs of the military above their own career goals. These obstacles can make full-time employment nearly impossible. That’s one of the reasons why a group of military spouses (including myself) got together in 2009 to create Blue Star Families, a national nonprofit dedicated to empowering military families. We want our families to thrive by providing them resources, support and connections to their civilian communities.

According to Blue Star Families’ annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey, most military spouses are not working. More than 75% of military spouses surveyed say that being a military spouse has hurt their career, and more than half of those not employed are actively seeking work. Of the minority of spouses who do work consistently, most earn less than $20,000 a year.

This kind of financial instability hurts military families. We know that dual income military families are able to better participate in their local communities and thrive while they serve. But, unlike their civilian counterparts, most military families face more hardships and uncertainties, because they volunteered to serve.

This is why Blue Star Families applauds Walmart for their new initiative to tackle this challenge affecting our military and their families. Walmart is rolling out their Military Spouse Career Connection. Beginning November 12, 2018, military spouses who apply for a job with Walmart or Sam’s Club will be given preferential hiring status.

Military spouses move so frequently that delays in hiring can mean they are not able to work at all during a duty station. Walmart and Sam’s Club can be a particularly good career path for military spouses, because there’s almost certainly a Walmart store anywhere the military sends families in the United States.

Blue Star Families is also working to solve the problem of military spouse unemployment. One of our major initiatives in this area is Spouseforce, an interactive platform for career-minded military spouses. It works in some ways like a dating app--both employer and employee can identify a possibly compatible match before making any contact.

It’s my hope that our combined efforts will help military families become more financially independent, and that spouses will have greater access to fulfilling, meaningful careers they can take with them wherever the military sends them.

I invite you to learn more about Blue Star Families and join us as a Blue Star Neighbor to show you’re a supporter of military families. When you stand with us, you help us create more opportunities for military families in your neighborhood, across the country and around the world.

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FEBRUARY 8, 2019 5:31 AM

michael wifing

I'm currently on my tight diet right now, and loose quite of weight because of careful planning of the diet. Finding lots of information online is indeed helpful in my diet program. Seriously, you can find lots of information everywhere on the web here. I can get insight and information regarding my diet plan and overall health.

DECEMBER 27, 2018 1:57 PM

Arash Sadaf

We have to support our military family they are doing such a big job and they are very important to our country

How Smartphones are Enabling a Smarter Way of Working in Stores

The number of things we’re able to accomplish through our smartphones today is truly amazing.

You can check the weather or stay up-to-date on the news. You can even sync your calendar with family to make sure everyone is on the same page. Thanks to a new initiative rolling out in our stores, our associates can now use their smartphones as that same kind of assistant at work – with tasks that are directly related to their jobs.

We’re rolling out Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in October to give associates another option to stay connected – this time from the familiar turf of their own smartphones. Although our sales floor associates can continue to access Walmart’s digital network by checking out a handheld device at the back of the store (in fact, we’re adding tens of thousands more of them to the stores over the coming months), they will now have the convenience of also using a smartphone if they desire. We know technology is helping our associates be more productive and deliver for our customers in new ways. BYOD is just another option our people will have to access the custom apps that help associates perform their jobs.

Through the new program, participating associates have the option to download our app suite directly to their own personal devices. This is another way to access the tools that help our people understand the health of their business, and spend more time on the sales floor serving customers. And the best part? Associates also receive a discount on their monthly phone bills.

With BYOD, the moment associates clock in at work, they have tools that enable them to do the best job possible, right in their pockets. Our suite of custom apps, which become accessible at clock-in, is also broader than ever before, complete with features like the PlanIT app – a hub for all announcements that directly matter to our associates, coming right from our home office in Bentonville, Arkansas.

For many associates who want to use their own device for work, privacy can be a concern. That is why we have been very specific about what Walmart can and can’t see on associates’ phones. Some pieces of information are helpful in making the program more useful for our associates. Other information is not necessary, so we don’t access it.

What CAN be seen by Walmart:

Battery Level

Make and Model of the device

Operating System (OS) version

Corporate Email and Data

Storage Usage

Carrier

Phone Number

Country

What CAN’T be seen by Walmart:

Personal Email and Data

Photos/Videos

Voicemail - Corporate or personal

Text – iOS or Android

Web Activity

List of Apps

Location

Spencer Schmidt is a sales floor associate at a supercenter in Fort Smith, Arkansas, one of the first stores that tested the BYOD functionality. He says the best thing about using his own device at work is the convenience of logging in as soon as he clocks in for his shift.

“BYOD basically works just like our store devices – I can pop it open when a customer needs help, look up items and find where they are in the store. But with my phone, the apps are always on me. As soon as I clock in, I can see what notes have been assigned to me and start working on them right away.”

And as our applications continue to evolve with the technology that delivers them, our people will have access to even more. Associates are excited to have more information at hand – to better themselves and to serve customers better. Whether it’s with BYOD or a store-issued device, each individual associate is more empowered than ever to take a leadership role in the success of their own stores.

We’ve introduced a lot of advanced technology to help our associates work faster and smarter, from virtual reality-based training to our Bossa Nova shelf scanners that make the inventory process quick and easy. Associates have caught on really well, but what I love about BYOD is that the tech we’re introducing is something that’s already second nature to most of our associates. It’s a smarter way to work – for the business, for our associates, and for customers.

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FEBRUARY 8, 2019 4:57 PM

Shane Courson

Can someone please explain to me how on a Walmart credit card if you pay more then normal to pay off your credit card they can put your card on hold for up to 21 days when all you are doing what you are supposed to do to pay off your balance? Someone please tell me how that makes sense.

FEBRUARY 3, 2019 10:41 PM

Teresa Miles

I have to pay for my phone and the data I use. Not Walmart. I will not be supplying Walmart with the tool I need to do my job. Its their place to be supplying us with what we need to be about to proform our jobs. I know people think this is a good idea and it would be if it wasnt going to cost money out of our pockets. Walmart should buy enough mc40s, 70s to go around instead, and put and END to assocates hiding them from other assocates.

JANUARY 29, 2019 8:17 PM

Julie Price

I use the Walmart app to find in store product location. I use Walmart pay. I ordered my groceries and pay for them with the same bank account as used to pay in store product. Is there any reason that the groceries purches be entered to saving catcher? Thank You, Julie

JANUARY 19, 2019 4:15 AM

Kyle Herbold

I think this is a wonderful idea, and GREAT way to promote and to represent Wal-Mart. -DM Kyle store 1755

Army Principles Helped This Walmart Manager Move Up the Ranks

Elise Hackstall no longer wears an Army uniform. But to this day, the military values she learned in her years of service still inform her identity.

Take, for example, the honor code she learned as a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy: She’s been known to quote it when talking to her 10-year-old daughter about the importance of honesty.

Then there’s a skill she honed as an Army personnel officer: Be direct and constructive, even when the message you’re conveying might be tough to hear.

For Hackstall, commitment, accountability and leadership weren’t abstract principles but essential traits that propelled her through a military career at Fort Knox.

When she joined Walmart, she quickly noticed a cultural overlap. The company's four basic beliefs had plenty in common with the seven Army values she already knew, sharing an emphasis on respect and integrity.

"A lot of it aligned with who I was," Hackstall says, "so that made Walmart a great fit for me."

That was over 10 years ago. Since then, Hackstall has been promoted multiple times. She started as a shift manager in Columbus, Georgia and became store manager at the biggest Walmart Supercenter in her market. That led her to an opportunity to move into human resources management.

Putting in the (Team) Work

Most recently, she moved back to operations as a developmental market manager, training to supervise teams across multiple stores. This position will give her the skills to apply for market manager positions that open up after her training is complete.

The training, along with her previous position as a market human resources manager across stores in four states, has introduced Hackstall to Walmart employees from a variety of backgrounds.

"It's really helped me to have a bigger appreciation of what kind of people make up our business—people from all over the country who help our stores to be successful," she says.

Hackstall's longstanding interest in human resources work extends back to her Army service at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where she was stationed after graduating from West Point. Hackstall served as a personnel officer and continued in human resources positions after transitioning to the Army Reserve in 2008.

She continued to serve as a reserve officer until this past spring, when she left the military to focus on her career with Walmart.

Hiring Heroes

Walmart is committed to recruiting former military members and matching them with jobs that fit their skills. Hackstall points out three skills that veterans often carry into civilian life: communication, commitment and accountability.

Military people know how to come up with a plan, articulate that plan and carry it out. When a store manager needs someone to run point on Black Friday, the biggest retail day of the year, she says, "If there's a veteran in the store, many times that's the person."

Hackstall adds that Walmart helps to create a network for the veterans it recruits. Recently, she talked with someone who was leaving the military and considering coming to Walmart. What advice did she offer?

"Anybody who joins Walmart will quickly realize whether the company is a fit for them or not," she says. "It's fast-paced, you have to be extremely adaptable, and you can't be rigid in your thought process."

"Limitless" Job Opportunities

Hackstall notes that Walmart offers a broad range of roles that might not be obvious to candidates who think mainly of the day-to-day tasks at a store. From medical services to real estate to information systems, Walmart's size creates all kinds of job types.

"There are limitless opportunities with this company," she says. "Whatever you want to do—short of being a brain surgeon or an astronaut—you can do for Walmart."

For Hackstall, spending time in her new role as developmental market manager fits with her long-term plan to gain experience in multiple facets of Walmart's business. When asked about the future, she doesn't hesitate.

"My end goal is to be the head of HR for the company," she says. "Every single position that I've taken has been to make sure that I am putting myself in a place where I can be competitive for that role."

In the ‘Nick’ of Time, Walmart Driver Helps Hurricane Baby

The week that Hurricane Michael hit Panama City, Florida, Nick Davis, like many other Walmart drivers, chose to forgo his regular trucking route.

With a shower trailer hitched to the back of his truck, he left his home in LaGrange, Georgia, to meet associates and their families at a local motel where they took shelter from damaged homes in the wake of the storm. That’s where he met Lorrainda, her husband, Wilmer, and their newborn son, Luke – a family in search of shelter after being discharged from the hospital and without a home only three days after Luke was born.

“If that was me and my family, I would want help.” Nick said, remembering the moment he saw Luke and his parents. So that’s what he did, along with several other Walmart truck drivers helping on the ground. “I was there at the right time and I wasn’t going to let them go.”

Nick and the team at the Walmart supercenter on Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach gathered last week to give Luke’s parents the baby shower they deserve, complete with one year of free Parent’s Choice diapers. You can see more of their story in the video above.

Editor’s note: Disaster relief remains one of the top priorities for charitable giving from Walmart, the Walmart Foundation and Sam’s Club, with a combined total of over $12 million contributed to hurricane response and relief just this year.